Genre:

A pair of shiny black shoes is the only connection between the characters played by Matthew Humphreys in You've Never Done Anything Unforgivable. Based on three short stories by George Saunders, this one-man show is simultaneously hilarious and depressing, and filled with reflections on urban blight. With tears welling in his eyes, Humphreys plays a young man recounting his upbringing in a racist American town. Next, he portrays the grieving proprietor of an Eternal Sunshine-style business that provides lucid dreams to lonely clients. Finally, Humphreys transforms into a tormented 400-pound employee of a firm that "relocates" (i.e. exterminates) pesky raccoons. The vignettes are infused with Saunders' brilliant, tragicomic imagery, like an armless man ringing a doorbell with his face. And despite the extraneous additions of intricate props and a Radiohead soundtrack, Unforgivable succeeds due to Humphreys' commitment to the author's exceptionally quirky protagonists.—Nick Mosquera

• Where: Linhart Theatre
• When: Sun, Aug 15 at 5 p.m.; Sat, Aug 21 at noon; Sun, Aug 22 at 7 p.m.; Fri, Aug 27 at 3 p.m.; Sun, Aug 29 at 5 p.m.